Thursday, February 25, 2010

Hamantaschen are a traditional cookie that is eaten during the Jewish festival of Purim, which is coming up this weekend. They're sweet, triangular, and filled with jam or other fruity goodness.

My husband Andy has been making this recipe since he was little. It was sweet watching his eagerness to show me each little step of his mother's recipe, regressing back to the inner child version of himself. We officially decided that this was our 1st Annual Hamantaschen-Making Party (I wish I could call it Hamantaschenstravaganza or something fun like that, but it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue). I'm excited to make this a yearly tradition!

For more background on Purim and the symbolism of the triangular cookie, head over to my friend Julie's hamataschen post from last year, she summed it up nicely.

We used blueberry and apricot preserves, raspberry jam, and I experimented with nutella and a few that have chocolate and/or peanut butter chips. I'll always like the fruity ones best though. They're traditional, and I think they taste better with the cookie part too.

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Add dough ingredients in the order above to a large bowl and beat until combined.

2. Optional: wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm it up.

3. Grab a large handful of dough and roll out on a well-floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Use the rim of a drinking glass to cut circles in the dough, and return the scraps to your dough pile.

4. Place 1 tsp. of filling in the center of each circle. Fold sides over 3 times to form a triangle, and press gently to seal. Do not pinch. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

5. Repeat with remaining circles and remaining dough. If dough gets too soft, refrigerate it for 15 minutes. When you have formed all the cookies, beat an egg in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush each cookie lightly with the beaten egg.

6. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely before serving.

I love these... with the poppy seed filling! I guy I worked with at my old job would bring them in every year. It's probably the only reason I wish I still had that job! Cute that you guys are making this a tradition.